Clothes-line holder.



IVI. LOPAN.

CLOTHES LINE HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED IULY 20.19I8.

1,292,339. Patented Jan. 21,1919.

FIG. 1

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FIG. 2. J6 F163.

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(ldt/Maia MARTIN' LOPAN, 0F WINTERQUAIRTERS, UTAH.

CLOTHES-LINE HOIIIIIDER..

Specification of Letters Patent.` Patented J an, 21, 191 9,

Application led Jul-y 20, 1918. Serial No. 245,886.

A To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN LoPAN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Winterquarters, in the county of Carbon and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements inv Clothes-Line Holders, of whlch the following is a specification.

The primary object of the invention is the rovision of a slack adjuster or adjustable older for ropes and cables such as clothes lines where an endless rope or cable member is employed.

A further object ofthe invention is the provision of a simple and inexpensive device adapted for use as a laundry appliance for maintaining the two portions or sectionsof an endless clothes line suitably spaced apart as well as equalizin the weight of the load upon the entire len of the line. A still further object of the device is the provision of a means readily attached at any desired position upon an endless clothes line and adjustable thereon at will for maintaining the portions of the line spaced a art substantially a uniform distance throug out thel length of the line when in use, provision being made for removably locking the device upon the separate portions of the line.

In the drawin forming a part of this application, like esignating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views, and

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a, clothes line lllustrating two of my devices employed thereon;

A Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of my device with the lower portion thereof broken away;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation thereof; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken upon line IV-IV of Fig. 2.

It being understood that my device is serviceable in connection with any form of endless lines, the same is herein illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing employed uponan endless line 10 running over pulleys 11 mounted upon posts 12 at the opposite ends of the line in the usual manner while clothes 13 are hung upon the line for drying the same.

l It is the' usual practice in connection with such clothes lines of laundries to hang the clothes 13 u on the portion or ply 14 that is positioned lowermost at the time the clothes are being hung up while the other portion 15 which is substantially one-half of the length of the line 10 is positioned above the portion 14.

My invention consists of a rectangular block 16 having a longitudinal slot 17 therein, with the portion 18 of the slot which is normally uppermost when the device is in use enlarged for accommodating a grooved pulley or wheel 19 journaled upon a bolt 20 transversely secured through the block 16 and the slot portion 18 thereof. A side entrance or mouth 21 is provided for the slot .17 whereby the upper portion 15 of the line 10 may be inserted into the slot 17 with the wheel 1-9 supportingly positioned for traveling upon the said upper portion of the line. The lower portion 14 of the line 10 may then be assed through the mouth 21 into the slot 17 or resting upon the bottom 22 of the slot and whereby the load of the lower portion 14 of the line will be partially supported by the upper portion 15 thereof and the said portions 14 and 15 of the line 10 will be maintained closer together while the lower portion 14 will be prevented from sagging.

Spring-pressed keepers in the formi-of rods 23 are slidably mounted'transverselyof the block 16 for spanm'n the slot 17 at. opposite sides of the mout 21. The rods 23 extend through sockets 24 in the block 16 and through cover plates 25 carried by the front side 26 of the block 16 above and below the said -mouth 21. A spring 27 encircles each I rod 23 with one end attached to a oove 28 in the adjacent rod and with the ot er outer end of each spring seated upon one of the plates 25. In this manner, the rods 23 are normally maintained with their inner ends seated in sockets 29 at the opposite side of the slot 17.

A head 30 is provided upon the outer end of each rod 23 to be grasped and pulled outwardl for retracting the rods.23 when it is desired to insert a portion of the line 10 in its'operative position in the slot 17 or -to remove the line therefrom at the will of the operator. rEhe device is attached to the line 10 either before or after the clothes 13 are mounted upon the lower portion 14 thereof, it being easy to position both portions- 14 ioo and 15 of the line through the mouth 21 'of torn 22 of the slot 17. Any desired m such as two of the devices may be employed upon a single line While their manner of attachment and detachment as well as their operation when in use will be fully understood from the foregoing description i What l claim as new 1s:-

l. A device of the class described comprising a block having a longitudinal slot therein and a side entrance mouth communicating with the said slot, a grooved wheel journaled adjacent one end of the slot, spring-pressed rods slidably positioned transversely of the block at opposite sides of said mouth normally spanning the said slot, the said rods being positioned between the said wheel and the opposite end of the slot, and handheld members upon the outer ends of said rods adapted for retracting the latter at Will..v

2. ln combination with an endless line having an upper and a lower portion, a rec'- tangular block having a longitudinal slot naeaae Aprovided with a side entrance mouth coniof the mouth and also having sockets at the opposite side of said slot from the said recesses, cover plates for said recesses in the front side of the block, retaining rods for the line slidably positioned through said recesses and plates normally traversing said slot and seated within'said sockets, normal positioning springs for said rods provided in said recesses, and operatingheads uponthe outer ends of the rods normally seated upon said plates when the device is in use..

ln testimony whereof l 'it my signature. 

